I Became a Demon Sword and Traveled the Anime Worlds

"Finally..."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's voice trembled.

"Finally, it's all over."

Beside him, his wife and children could no longer hold back. Laughter broke through the room, soft at first, then bright and tearful, carrying a relief too heavy to be expressed in words.

Kagaya closed his eyes for a moment.

For generations, the Ubuyashiki family had lived beneath a curse. Their children had been born into sickness, their lives shortened, their fate bound to the shadow of Muzan Kibutsuji. Every head of the family had inherited the same impossible burden: find the progenitor of demons, destroy him, and end the sorrow that had devoured countless lives.

Now, at last, that burden had been lifted.

When Kagaya opened his eyes again, the gentleness in them remained, but his voice had recovered its firmness.

"Call everyone back to headquarters."

The Kasugai Crows took flight at once, vanishing into the night in every direction.

The war was over.

Now, the living had to return.

The next day, the surviving members of the Demon Slayer Corps gathered once more at headquarters.

This time, they were not kneeling before Kagaya to receive orders for battle, nor to mourn another fallen comrade before setting out again. They stood in the courtyard beneath a clear sky, their uniforms torn, their bodies bandaged, their eyes red from exhaustion and grief.

But they were alive.

On the porch, Kagaya Ubuyashiki faced them with a smile overflowing with warmth.

"The fact that we were able to slay Muzan Kibutsuji this time is all thanks to Tanjirou and Mr. Asuramaru," he said. "Without them, whether we could have truly defeated Muzan would have remained uncertain."

No one objected.

No one could.

Since joining the Corps, Tanjirou's deeds had spoken louder than any title ever could. Lower Moons, Upper Moons, Muzan himself, the path he had walked had become impossible for anyone to deny.

Kagaya's gaze swept slowly across everyone present.

"Now that all of you have gathered here, there is one final matter I must announce."

Many of them already guessed what he was about to say.

Even so, when the words arrived, the courtyard fell silent.

"In this final battle, we lost many comrades," Kagaya said. "But in the end, we succeeded. Therefore, as of today, I declare the Demon Slayer Corps officially disbanded."

The words hung in the air.

For a moment, no one moved.

Kagaya continued, his voice softer now.

"Across these long generations, the Ubuyashiki family offers its deepest gratitude to every swordsman who risked their life to protect this world from demons."

Then, before everyone's eyes, Kagaya knelt.

He lowered his body and bowed deeply toward them.

The courtyard stirred at once.

"Please raise your head!"

"Oyakata-sama, you don't need to do this!"

"If we're speaking of sacrifice, it was the Ubuyashiki family who sacrificed the most!"

Voices rose in panic and concern, one after another.

Kagaya slowly straightened. His smile did not fade.

"With the Corps disbanded, all of you are free," he said. "You may seek work you enjoy, return to your families, travel, marry, rest, or remain here if that is what you wish. The Ubuyashiki family will continue to support your livelihood as thanks for everything you have done."

With those words, the final meeting of the Demon Slayer Corps came to an end.

Tanjirou found Nezuko among the crowd.

She had completely returned to being human.

She stood with Sakonji Urokodaki and Giyu Tomioka, her eyes bright, her face alive beneath the morning light. When Tanjirou approached, Nezuko looked at him, and for a moment, neither sibling spoke.

Then the tears came.

They embraced tightly, laughing and crying at the same time.

Urokodaki stood nearby in silence, his tengu mask hiding his expression, but his shoulders seemed to loosen as if a weight had finally been lifted from him. Giyu watched them with quiet eyes, the faintest softness touching his face.

For that brief moment, they looked less like swordsmen who had survived a war and more like a family.

A few days later, everyone offered flowers to the fallen.

Names were spoken.

Prayers were offered.

Some wept openly. Some stood in silence. Some stared at the graves as if waiting for the dead to answer.

Then, one by one, the survivors chose their own paths.

Tanjirou's choice was simple.

He would return to his home deep in the mountains and live the rest of his life in peace.

Inosuke, who had nowhere else to go and no family waiting for him, made the same choice without hesitation.

Zenitsu, however, fell into a deep and dramatic crisis.

Should he go with Tanjirou and Nezuko?

Should he stay behind with his master?

Could he possibly do both?

His dilemma lasted until the old man walked up behind him and knocked him sharply on the head.

"Are you planning to abandon your master?" the former Thunder Hashira said slowly. "If not, then take me with you."

"Gramps..."

Zenitsu's eyes instantly filled with tears.

Not far away, Nezuko smiled warmly at the sight.

Before leaving, Tanjirou made one final request of Asuramaru.

He asked him to heal everyone who had awakened a Slayer Mark, then asked him to examine the Ubuyashiki family as well. Only after confirming that none of them had hidden dangers left behind did Tanjirou finally set out with the others.

Several days later, the group returned to the familiar mountain.

They greeted the old man living in the wooden hut along the way, then continued up the path until Tanjirou's old home came into view.

The house was quiet.

The clearing before it, where Tanjirou had once buried his family with his own hands, had become a sea of flowers.

Tanjirou stood there for a long time.

Then he knelt before the graves and lowered his head.

"Mother," he whispered. "We're home."

The wind moved through the flowers.

For the first time in many years, the mountain felt gentle.

Life slowly settled into a new rhythm.

Asuramaru was placed inside the house and enshrined carefully, just as he had been before. Tanjirou treated him with the same respect, the same sincerity, as if he were not merely a sword, but a member of the family.

Spring passed.

Autumn came.

Snow fell, melted, and returned again.

Asuramaru remained within the sword through countless days and nights. After a while, even he lost track of how many years had passed.

Zenitsu's grandfather passed away first.

The old man left peacefully, surrounded by the people he had once worried for and scolded. Zenitsu cried until he nearly fainted, then cried again when Nezuko quietly stayed beside him.

After that, Zenitsu confessed his feelings to Nezuko.

Inosuke shouted that he did not understand what was so difficult about confessing, only to be dragged away by Tanjirou before he could make the moment worse.

Eventually, Tanjirou and Inosuke each found someone to love as well.

They married.

They had children.

They built families.

And yet, they all continued living near that mountain home, sharing meals, laughter, arguments, festivals, winters, and countless ordinary days that once would have seemed too distant to even dream about.

Of them all, Asuramaru watched Tanjirou most closely.

Even after returning to a peaceful life, Tanjirou never grew idle.

Every day, he practiced.

His sword.

His breathing.

His body.

His control.

Year after year, he refined himself, until he could stand at a level comparable to Yoriichi Tsugikuni even without Asuramaru's enhancement.

Yet no matter how hard he trained, he could not cross beyond that final boundary.

Asuramaru had sensed it long ago.

Only now was he certain.

The world itself was preventing him from going further.

Every world had a limit to the strength it could bear. What would happen if that limit were broken, Asuramaru did not know. What he did know was that Tanjirou had already reached the highest point this world allowed.

The undisputed strongest.

And then time continued.

Asuramaru watched Tanjirou marry.

Watched him become a father.

Watched him pass the Hinokami Kagura to his children beneath the same mountain sky.

He watched Zenitsu complain, grow old, and still look at Nezuko as if she were the brightest thing in the world.

He watched Inosuke mellow in a way no one dared mention aloud.

He watched children become adults, adults become parents, and familiar voices slowly thin with age.

Time moved like water.

Tanjirou and the others grew old.

One by one, they reached the ends of their lives and passed on.

Only Asuramaru remained unchanged.

At last, Tanjirou too came to the end of his lifespan.

Despite the worry of his children, he insisted on taking Asuramaru into his hands one final time.

That night was dark and quiet.

Under the black sky, the aged Tanjirou performed the Hinokami Kagura.

His movements were no longer as sharp as they had been in youth. His body had become frail, his breathing slower, his hands lined with age.

But when he moved, the sword still burst into scorching flame.

Light painted the night.

For one last time, the fire danced beneath the stars.

When the final step ended, Tanjirou stood there, breathing softly. His voice carried the weight of a lifetime.

"Asuramaru," he said, "meeting you was the greatest fortune of my life."

Inside the sword, Asuramaru clicked his tongue.

"You're already about to die of old age. Worry about yourself for once."

Tanjirou only smiled.

He was no longer the boy who had once flinched at every sharp word.

"You're always caring for everyone like this."

Asuramaru fell silent.

Tanjirou's smile turned a little sad.

"But I can feel it. My time is almost up." He lowered his eyes. "I'm going to die. After this, you'll be alone again... I'm sorry."

"Even when you're dying, you still can't shut that mouth of yours."

Asuramaru's voice was irritable.

Tanjirou gave a helpless laugh.

Then, unexpectedly, Asuramaru spoke again.

"No," he said. "I'm the one who should thank you."

Tanjirou froze.

"Thank you for sharing part of your life with me," Asuramaru said. "For letting me see your memories, your family, your stubbornness, your ordinary days... and for showing me a revenge that was worth watching."

Tears slipped from the corners of Tanjirou's eyes.

The night passed quietly.

The next morning, Tanjirou lay on his sickbed at home.

His children knelt beside him, their faces filled with worry. Tanjirou no longer had the strength to comfort them properly. All he could do was hold Asuramaru tightly in his hand.

Then black smoke rose from the sword.

Before everyone's eyes, Asuramaru appeared.

The children had heard stories about him all their lives, but this was the first time they had seen him with their own eyes.

He looked just as Tanjirou remembered.

Unchanged.

Untouched by time.

Under their astonished gazes, Asuramaru walked to the bedside and slowly placed a hand on Tanjirou's forehead.

A faint, gentle smile appeared on Tanjirou's lips.

"Asuramaru..."

"Shut up," Asuramaru snapped. "Do you think you aren't dying fast enough?"

As he spoke, a vast amount of Demon Power poured into Tanjirou's mind.

In an instant, Tanjirou was drawn into his mental world.

The darkness there brightened.

One by one, the scenes of his life unfolded.

His mother.

His siblings.

Nezuko.

His friends.

His wife.

His children.

The mountains.

The flowers before the graves.

The first sunrise after Muzan's death.

All the beautiful moments he had cherished took shape around him, woven together by Asuramaru's power.

Finally, Asuramaru appeared as well, arms crossed, wearing the same arrogant expression as always.

Tanjirou looked at him.

Asuramaru looked back.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Then Asuramaru said, "Goodbye."

Tanjirou smiled through his tears and raised his hand.

"Goodbye."

The world fell silent.

Outside, Asuramaru slowly withdrew his hand.

.....

[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]

[[email protected]/FanficLord03]